Tanzania

Tanzania may not be known for its fishing but it is actually host to probably the best flyfishing for tiger fish in the world. The key is their size with fish landed over 25lbs historically and 20lbs fish caught every week. Only one overnight is required in the capital city Dar es Salaam.

So, what happens when a tiger takes and how do you respond? They hit the fly at alarming speed and immediately pull very very hard. By definition of where you are in your stripping routine i.e if you are reaching from completing one strip to make the next, you are very likely not going to hook the fish because you will not be providing enough resistance when the take occurs. Basically, when they hit, you hit back. Not by lifting the rod (that is the worst thing you can do) but by pulling/strip-striking back at them as hard as you can and you attempt to yield no line at all. It reminds us of trying to stop a trigger or a Bumphead parrotfish. You try not to yield for fear they will make it to the coral, or in this case, to structure like sunken branches etc. The guides would prefer you do not spend any time trying to get line on the reel, they just want max tension at all times until the fish is in the net. In summary, the take and battle is short but ultra-intense and and it really gets the blood flowing! Throughout you are jabbing the fish to keep the hook where it is as deep as possible and yet when the fish is netted, most often the hook simply falls out.